Trapped
by Shadw
Summary: “Neji…no…please…not for me,” the weapons mistress pleaded with the Hyuuga prodigy. He ignored her desperate pleas and continued to be her personal shield from the rocks that were piercing his flesh like a hot knife through butter. NeTen/Narinata. Ch. 4 up
1. Chapter One : The Mission

Alright, so I took it down so I could rewrite it. The beginning is still kinda the same, but it's not the same at the same time. This is a Neji/Tenten fic with Naru/Hina fluffiness! I do not own Naruto…this is a very sad fact. I hope you all enjoy the rewrite! I hope to update every week to two weeks. For the fans of Fighting the Past that are reading this, I have put that on Hiatus because I lost my damn train of thought on it. I AM going to finish it, I swear I will, I just have to find my inspiration! Read and Review PLEASE! I'll love you if you do!

**Trapped**

**Chapter One: The Mission**

Pain engulfed his entire being like fire engulfed dead grass for fuel. They had been ambushed by some rouge ninja on their way to Kumogakure.

"Neji look out!"

Neji turned around in time to get some cast off blood on his face and attire. He wasn't sure who it belonged to, the kumo-nin or her. He was hoping it wasn't her. The ninja fell leaving her still standing, a kunai buried deep into his chest. Unconsciously he let out the breath he didn't know he was holding. His heart sank though as she fell backwards into his arms.

"Tenten!"

He looked around for Sakura seeing as she was the medic-nin or even Hinata, she knew some medical techniques. Angrily he looked at the shuriken embedded in her stomach. Her cough pulled him out of his daze as he looked around with his Byakugan for a safe place to hide her. Not too far away was a cave. Even though he was no medic, he knew he had to stop the blood from spilling out of her stomach like a waterfall. Out of his bag he took a small pill and popped it into her mouth.

"Hold on Tenten, I'll get you to safety, but you need to swallow this blood pill to stop the bleeding so I can pull out the shuriken."

Luckily she was still semi-conscious and did as he instructed. He turned his head to glare at the weapon in her gut.

"This is going to hurt a bit Tenten," he said as he turned to face her once again, she gave him a small nod and looked away.

In one fluid motion the throwing star was out, she didn't even move. He pulled her into his arms; his muscles ached from the strain as he began to run to the cave holding her fragile frame close to his chest.

"Neji behind you…"

Quickly he reactivated his Byakugan to see two more shinobi behind him. Just as he jumped into the cave they threw a kunai attached to it was an explosive tag which detonated upon impact with the solid ground. Neji set Tenten down behind him and summoned all the chakra he could in one final effort to save Tenten.

"Hakke Rokujoyon Sho! Two strikes, four strikes, eight strikes."

He hit any rock that dared get close to her, turning it to small harmless pebbles or dust with one hit. A few rocks caught him off guard and the jagged edges pierced his flesh easily but he didn't quit.

"Sixteen strikes, thirty-two strikes, sixty-four strikes!"

More rocks continued to fall towards him and Tenten, and he did the only thing he could do, the pale-eyed boy covered her body with his, resting on his elbows and covering her head with his broad chest.

"Neji…no…please…not for me," the weapons mistress pleaded with the Hyuuga prodigy.

He ignored her desperate pleas and continued to be her personal shield from the rocks that were piercing his flesh like a hot knife through butter. She shut her eyes and clutched his jacket for dear life. Tears spilled across her cheeks when he fell unconscious and still didn't budge from his spot.

"Neji, please don't die."

Even though she desperately wanted to hear his voice, she didn't want him to be awake to experience the pain.

"I love you."

Her words fell on deaf ears, and all she knew was darkness.

"I've gathered them like you asked Hokage-sama."

"Thank you Shizune."

She opened the door to reveal Haruno Sakura, Uzumaki Naruto, Hyuuga Neji, Tenten, Hyuuga Hinata, Inuzuka Kiba with Akamaru, and Nara Shikamaru.

"What's this about Baa-chan?"

Sakura quickly hit him over the head.

"Oi Naruto! Show some respect to Hokage-sama!"

Tsunade cleared her throat, "this is no time to be joking around. I have a very important mission for you all."

Sakura let go of Naruto as he raced toward Tsunade's desk.

"What rank is it?"

"This is an S-Rank mission, Shikamaru as the only Chuunin your leading the team."

"Hokage-sama, if the mission is of such a high rank why don't you have an ANBU team or a Jounin team complete it?" Neji questioned.

"I would if we weren't so short on ninja at the mo-"

"Oh who cares about all that junk! What's the mission?"

Sakura one again hit him over the head, this time hard enough to make him hit the floor.

"Don't interrupt baka!"

Everyone just sighed and shook their heads at his antics, save for Hinata who only sighed. Tsunade hit her desk hard, causing it to crack under her monstrous strength.

"I said ENOUGH!"

Everyone was deathly quiet as they stared at the Godamine Hokage, "This mission is crucial for the survival of Kohanagakure. I need you eight to take this treaty to Kumogakure."

Her gaze switched from Hinata to Neji trying to read their reactions. Hinata was surprised to say the very least, her eyes had widened at the name of the village and her normal fidgeting had stopped from the shock. Neji was a lot harder to read, but his gaze had hardened, and jaw clenched for a brief second before returning to normal. The only reason she had caught it was because she was one of the legendary Sannin, and Godamine Hokage of Kohanagakure.

"Why are you sending Hinata and Neji there? Kumogakure tried to kidnap Hinata for the Byakugan years ago!" Kiba made his presence known, Akamaru barking in agreement with his master.

"Not only that but Ne-"

"Tenten."

He said her voice calmly, but she knew to continue no further with her statement.

"I know, but I have no choice. You eight are the only shinobi available at the moment, and this mission must be completed ASAP."

"What are the details of the mission?"

"Well Shikamaru, you must get the treaty to the Raikage within one week. No one else besides the Raikage is allowed to see the treaty. Once the Raikage has received and signed it, send me word. When I receive word from you, I'll send you the okay to come home."

"W-what about the treaty?"

"I'm sending you with two for him to sign. One he keeps and one comes back with you."

"When do we leave?" Naruto was over ecstatic about the mission.

"Tomorrow at 7am. You are dismissed."

With that they all bowed and left.

Shizune walked up to her long time friend's desk with Tonton in her arms, "Tsunade-sama, are you sure about this?"

Tsunade shut her eyes and placed her chin on her folded hands, "We don't have any other options. We are over expended with Orochimaru and Akatsuki running around. "

Shizune nodded and turned to leave, as soon as she was gone Tsunade pulled out a bottle of sake and a cup.

"I really need this now."

Shizune opened the door again and saw the bottle.

"Hokage-sama…"

**Translations**

Kumogakure – The village hidden in the Clouds, Hidden Cloud Village

Hakke Rokujoyon Sho – Divine Sixty-Four Strikes

Baa-chan – Granny, Old hag, this is what Naruto calls Tsunade.

Oi – Hey

Baka – idiot, moron.

Godamine Hokage – Fifth Hokage

Kohanagakure – Village Hidden in the Leaves, Hidden Leaf Village

Raikage – Leader of the Hidden Cloud Village


	2. Chapter Two : To Kumogakure

So I wanna thank Under A Rain Cloud for reviewing

So I wanna thank Under A Rain Cloud for reviewing. You're my new best friend.  ANYWAY….this is Chap. 2! I hope you enjoy it! Um so I'm going to do some song chapters (forgot the proper name sorry), so here are a few songs I might use. Vote on which one you want via review!

Already Over - Red

Pieces - Red  
All Around Me - Flyleaf  
Breath - Breaking Benjamin  
Cold - Crossfade  
Comatose - Skillet  
Rebirthing - Skillet  
The Last Night - Skillet  
Yours To Hold - Skillet  
Whispers In The Dark - Skillet  
The End Has Come - Ben Moody

Everything Burns - Anastasia Feat. Ben Moody

Headstrong - Trapt  
Numb - Linkin Park  
Rewind - Pillar  
Spirit Never Dies - MasterPlan  
Time Of Dying - Three Days Grace  
Until The Day The Die - Story Of The Year  
Our Solemn Hour - Within Temptation

I don't own Naruto! Expect the next update on Sept, 4, 2008. Next Thursday! By the way, if anyone knows a good site where I can get translations for some japanese words and the correct spelling please let me know. Arigato!!

**Chapter Two: To Kumogakure!**

Neji woke early the next morning, it was still dark. He glanced at his clock, it was only 5, and the team didn't have to leave until 7. Still, he got up out of bed and got dressed. Deciding to get in an hour of training, he walked to the training grounds. Surprisingly, Tenten was there too, just sitting in a tree watching the sky. No…she was asleep in the tree.

"Tenten?"

She didn't move.

"Tenten!" he yelled a little louder.

Tenten jumped, startled by his voice and lost her seating in the tree. She began to fall, but Neji jumped up and caught her easily.

"Neji you…you…" Tenten stuttered.

Neji just smirked, "your welcome."

"You JERK! How dare you scare me like that!?" she screamed.

"Excuse me?"

"Put me down! Put me down!"

He did as he was told. Tenten was red in the face. Not only had she been scared awake, but she had fallen out of a tree and been saved by Neji. It was embarrassing! He was still smirking…the bastard.

"Why did you scare me like that!"

"Not my fault you sleep in trees Tenten."

She straightened, "I didn't mean to! What are you doing up so early anyway?"

"I came to train a bit."

Of course, training is ALL he thinks about, well…that and overthrowing Hiashi.

"What about you?"

"What do you mean what about me?"

"Why are you up so early?"

She sighed and smiled, "I wanted to watch the sunrise."

"Why were you in a tree then?"

"Not just any tree Neji, that tree is the best place to watch the sunrise from."

He walked over to her, grabbed her hand, and then jumped into the tree, just as the sun began to rise.

"Neji?"

"Hm?"

"Thank you…for catching me that is," a small blush graced her cheeks as looked towards him.

He looked down at her, the sun's rays made her skin glow.

'She looks so….beautiful.'

"You're right."

Tenten tilted her head in question.

"This is the best place to watch the sunrise Tenten."

She smiled and nodded, and turned her head back to the sunrise.

"Oi! Sakura-chan! Shikamaru! Kiba! Akamaru! Hinata! Neji! Tenten!"

He remembered being ambushed. He remembered being separated from everyone. However, he did not remember being knocked out. Naruto had just woken up, his body lying next to a tree.

"N-Naruto-kun?"

Quickly he turned his head to see the Hyuuga heiress leaning against a tree.

"Hinata!" he was over by her side in a second, a look of worry on his face, "are you alright?"

"I-I think my left leg is broken."

"Sakura-chan can heal it for you, c'mon, we'll find her."

He was bent down in front of her, arm outstretched. She looked at him, a blush spreading rapidly across her face.

"I'll carry you."

Hinata almost fainted at the thought of him holding her, but took his hand anyway. He gently pulled her to her feet, but she only balanced on her right leg, in less then a second she was in his arms, bridal style.

"Now to find the others, and get you fixed up."

She merely nodded into his chest.

"Chotto matte, can you use your Byakugan to find them?"

Hinata nodded and began to focus her chakra, "Byaku-"

She clutched her head, writhing in his arms while screaming in sheer agony.

"Hinata!"

Her pain was short lived as she passed out again.

"Oi! Hinata! Hinata wake up! Sakura-chan! Hinata needs you help!"

He bounced her in his arms lightly trying to wake her up.

"Hinata wake up! Sakura-chan! Kiba! Shikamaru! Neji! Tenten! Somebody help!"

Akamaru came limping out of the bushes, whining in pain with each step.

"Akamaru, help me find the others! Hinata's hurt!"

Akamaru barked and began walking back into the bushes, Naruto right behind them.

'Don't worry Hinata! I'll make sure your safe.'

He looked down into his arms; his breath caught in his throat.

'She's so…beautiful. I never really noticed it before.'

His cerulean eyes once again turned to Akamaru who had lead them into a clearing. Sakura, Kiba and Shikamaru where unconscious. Naruto carefully laid Hinata on the ground and rushed over to Sakura, while Akamaru went back to barking at the boys.

"Sakura-chan, Sakura-chan wake up. We need your awesome medical skills!" he shook her softly as he called her name, a few moments passed and she opened her jade colored eyes.

"Naruto? What happened? I-I don't remember anything after getting ambushed."

"Me either, you okay?"

"Hai, I'm fine."

"Can you fix Hinata? She says her left leg might be broken, and when she tried to use her Byakugan to find you guys she passed out…"

Sakura nodded and walked over to the lavender haired Hyuuga, her hands began to glow a light green as they scanned over her body, "it's not broken, just dislocated. Naruto, I'm going to need you to hold her down for me, I've got to pop it back into place."

Naruto placed a hand over her right arm to hold her down, then put his left hand in hers, squeezing it comfortingly.

"On my count of three."

He nodded and rubbed his thumb over the top of her hand.

"One."

His eyes landed on her face, which was contorted in pain.

"Two."

"I'm sorry, Hinata."

Naruto and Sakura exchanged a quick glance.

"Three!" She pulled on Hinata's leg, twisted it and in a swift moment popped the bone back into place.

Hinata's small body arched in pain, but Naruto held her down and squeezed her hand in reassurance.

"Done."

She didn't move, and nether did Naruto.

"She's going to be okay, she'll wake up soon when she does give her these pain pills okay?"

He nodded and took the two small round white pills from Sakura who stood up after handing them off.

"I've gotta wake them up."

"Sakura-chan?"

"Nani?"

"Where are Neji and Tenten?"

**Translations:**

**Oi** - hey

**Chotto matte** - wait a second, hold on a second

**Hai** - yes, yeah, okay

**Nani** - what


	3. Ch 3 : Between A Rock and A Hard Place

I'M SORRY MINA

I'M SORRY MINA!! I got caught up in a game called " Baten Kaitos – Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean" It's a really good game and took me like……50hrs+ to beat it. I'd give it a 4.5/5 stars! There's a character in the game called "The Great Mizuti"! I love that character SO much! SOOOO Funny! Anyway, this be chapter three, in a few days I'll post chapter four. Hope you enjoy!

**Chapter Three: Between A Rock & A Hard Place**

Her chocolate brown eyes opened though it was dark, the only light coming in from cracks in the rocky prison they were trapped in. She felt a warm body over her own, tears sprung to her eyes as the memory came rushing back.

"Neji…"

He was still in the position he had fallen uncurious in. Carefully she maneuvered herself out from under him, but the movement didn't agree with her stomach. Tenten grabbed her stomach in pain, for a few seconds she stayed still, willing the pain to go away and thankfully it listened to her. She removed her hand and brought it to her face, disgusted she looked away towards Neji, disgust changed to worry.

'Poison! Just great of all the things to happen! I can't let him know, I have to take care of him until help arrives. I just have to keep calm so the poison doesn't spread too fast.'

She softly grabbed his arms and lowered his body to the ground so he could rest properly. None of the rocks looked like they had gone too deep, she silently thanked Kami. Tenten was no medic-nin, but she knew she had to remove the rocks, sterilized the wounds and bandage him up. She wasn't nervous about seeing his body as she had treated his shallower wounds before, she was just afraid to mess up. The memory of the first time treating him came back to mind and she couldn't help but smile a little.

"_Neji! You need to have that treated!" An eleven year old Tenten yelled._

"_Yes Neji! You cannot let your flame of youth be put out with a wound like that!" the mini-Gai yelled._

"_Yosh! Lee is right! You must treat that before your flame of youth begins to fade!"_

"_Gai-sensei!"_

"_Lee!"_

"_Gai-sensei!"_

_As the tears sprung from their eyes and the cardboard sun appeared in its usual fashion, Tenten made Neji sit down. _

"_It's just a small cut, nothing to be worried about."_

_Tenten grimaced and poke him gently in the side, she could feel him jump at the sudden contact with his wound and smirked._

"_If you just let me clean and bandage it I'll leave you alone. We still have a few days until we reach the village and it could get infected by then."_

_He said nothing. She let out a small sigh._

"_Please Neji; you only got that wound because I wasn't paying attention. It's my fault and I want to treat it for you."_

_Neji's eyes softened for a second and he let out a small sigh of his own, "fine."_

_Tenten clapped a few times and reached into her backpack, she pulled out an alcohol pad and some gauze. _

"_This might sting…Neji could you…um…" she began to blush._

"_What?"_

"_I need you to take your shirt off."_

That had been a fun day. She had been so embarrassed she couldn't look at him for the rest of the trip. Eventually she got over the fact of seeing him shirtless, and after enough leg wounds pantless too. She reached into her weapon pouch pulled out a small scroll and unrolled it. Her thumb ran over her stomach wound and then across the paper; gauze rolls, gauze pads and alcohol pads appeared from the paper.

"Please, stay asleep for this Neji."

Then one by one, she began to pull the rocks out.

Her pale eyes opened to see cerulean eyes staring back at her.

"Oi! Naruto giver her some space to breathe!"

"Gomenasai Sakura-chan."

"Hinata, are you okay?"

"Kiba?"

"Yeah, are you okay?"

"H-hai. W-what happened to m-me?"

"Naruto said you tried to use your Byakugan and you passed out."

"Shikamaru?"

"Yeah, it's just us five though."

Akamaru barked angrily at him.

"Us SIX!" Kiba corrected.

"Troublesome."

"Hinata?"

She turned her head towards the voice and blushed, "h-hai N-Naruto-kun."

He smiled his huge fox-like grin and hugged her tightly while laughing.

"Naruto! Be careful with her! She just woke up!"

"Gomen gomen!" he yelled happily.

Hinata could only blush as Naruto hugged her.

"I'm happy that you're okay," he quickly whispered into her ear and let go of her.

She blushed even harder and felt a little light-headed, something clicked in her head and she turned her head toward Shikamaru.

"Six?"

All eyes went to the ground.

"We can't find Neji or Tenten," Sakura said after a few moments.

"Neji-nii-san and Tenten are…"

She felt a hand on her shoulder and turned back to see Naruto.

"Don't worry, we'll find them. We are going to have Akamaru and Kiba get their sent. We just didn't want to separate so we were waiting for you to wake up."

Hinata nodded and stood shakily, her left leg was still in pain.

"Naruto, the pill?"

"Oh yeah! This is from Sakura!" he handed her the small pill and a bottle of water.

Wordlessly she took it and instantly began to feel better.

"T-thank you Sakura."

"No problem."

"Hinata, have anything of Neji's? Or by chance Tenten's?" Shikamaru asked.

She nodded, "m-my bag. Tenten asked me to hold her a hair tie because it broke."

Naruto handed Hinata her bag and she pulled out the hair tie.

"Can you get the sent?"

"We've got it Shikamaru."

"Lead us then."

They were off.

**Kami** - God

**Oi** - hey

**Gomenasai** - I'm sorry

**Hai** - yes

**Gomen** - sorry

**Neji-nii-san** - Would translate to brother Neji, it's just what Hinata calls him...I'm not sure if it would be spelled Neji-niisan or the way I spelled it...but...yeah...


	4. Ch 4 : The Lost Then Found

Alright, so this is how it works

Alright, so this is how it works. I'm not lazy, I actually have seven, yes, you read correctly, SEVEN chapters of this fic done. What I am trying to is write a chapter then update a chapter, so I keep ahead so if something bad happened I can still update for a small while. Well, I hit a small roadblock, but I fixed it with research! That is why it took me a while, but it's only been like…a week…so that counts as a few days. I have figured that I will update every one to two weeks, maybe less if I hit a really sweet thinking moment. So that is when you should expect the updates from now on k? ANYWAY, I want to thank all those who have reviewed so far, it really means a lot to me. So thank you: **Under a Rain Cloud, Jadedsiren, Jenny Hyuga101, ekp95m, Nerd4eva, **and** Rohain Taquil **for reading AND reviewing my story, it is greatly appreciated. Also, I still need to know what songs you guys would like me to use, please refer to Chapter Two for the list. So far, I have 1 vote for Already Over and 1 vote for Until The Day I Die. So please let me know what you want okay? It's kinda important for the story seeing as how the idea's for each will be coming up soon in my writing.

I do not own Naruto…and you all just love to remind me of that huh?

**Chapter Four: The Lost Then Found**

It hurt. That had to be the biggest understatement of the year, he felt like he had be tortured by Ibiki. Wait...he felt? Wasn't he dead? The last thing he could remember was Tenten crying.

She had said something...he knew that she had, but just couldn't remember. Neji took in a deep breath. It felt great to be alive. Speaking of felt, his chest felt a little heavy. Forcing his eyes opened he saw Tenten's head lying on his chest.

Her face was facing him, so he could clearly make out the tear streaks on her face. He smiled softly, she was...cute, no, that wasn't a good enough word, she was...he couldn't find words to describe her beauty at the moment.

"Neji...please...don't die, don't...don't leave me," her voice quivered in absolute agony as the words left her lips.

"Don't worry Tenten, I won't," he whispered softly back so she wouldn't wake up.

Neji noticed she was desperately clutching his hands with hers and gave a gentle squeeze. The smell of alcohol burned his nostrils as he took in another breath. She had treated his wounds fairly well and even though he was in massive pain he felt calm. Tenten had always made him feel that way. He knew that Tenten had his back, and he had his.

The predicament they were in proved as much. Not that Lee didn't have their backs but he was just…..Lee. He was lying on his back, with something soft under his head. Something soft, squishy and warm. He looked closer at Tenten and noticed it, her body was curved and it led under his head.

Neji was lying on Tenten thighs. He could feel his heart beat faster and Tenten began to stir, so he forced himself to calm down. It was too late though, as her eyes had already began to open.

"Neji?" her voice was laced with exhaustion and…what sounded like pain, but he wasn't sure.

"Hai."

Her grip on his hands tightened, and he squeezed back. Tears formed in her eyes but refused to fall.

"I'm glad you're okay. I was worried that…" she allowed her voice to trail off; it just hurt too much to say that word.

"I'm fine though, and your okay?"

She nodded and bit her tongue. He couldn't know that she had been poisoned; he'd aggravate his wounds trying to get them out of there.

"You actually picked a pretty good cave. There's a crack in the roof so we won't suffocate, and I can hear water not too far away so we won't get dehydrated."

"Lucky us," he muttered sarcastically.

"Neji?"

He quirked an eyebrow at the soft way she said his name and she pushed herself up.

"Promise me, tha-, "her statement was cut short as she began to cough violently a hand shot straight to her mouth.

"Tenten!" He sat up quickly, his body ached in protest but he gave it no second thought.

The taste of copper filled her mouth causing her to gag and cough even harder. Her other hand shot to her stomach, clutching it in pain. Neji held her close and placed a hand to her forehead.

"Tenten you're burring up! What's wrong?" he noticed her holding her stomach so he went to move her hand away.

"Tenten let me see!"

She shook her head but he grabbed her hand and pulled it away. Shock, guilt and grief yanked at his heart. There was a slight sickly green tint in the skin around the wound she had received saving his miserable life. Her coughing subsided and her hand fell away from her mouth. She fell into Neji's broad chest breathing heavily.

"Poison. Why didn't you tell me?" his voice was pained, she gave no response.

Worriedly her lifted her head and nearly dropped it again, blood dripped past her bottom lip and her eyes were closed. Tenten was unconscious. Neji let a curse escape his lip as he laid her down. He checked her pulse and cursed yet again. The situation was just great, he was completely out of chakra, a human pincushion and she had been poisoned and was dying before his eyes.

Neji stood up, took off his jacket and placed it under her head. Then he ripped open her shirt, then ripped a piece off and put it in his pocket. He knew he had to reduce her fever and fast, his guess would be her temperature was around 103 to 104 degrees. At 106 degrees her brain would fry. He bent down next to her and placed a hand on her face.

"I won't let you die Tenten. You're my-" the words lingered on his tongue and he swallowed the lump in his throat, "you're my-"

The words just refused to leave his lips. He heaved a sigh, then gently he kissed her burning forehead, and then got back up. He unwrapped a bandage covering a small wound on his arm and squeezed it opened, allowing blood to steadily pour out. He would use his blood to mark the way there so he could follow it back, he couldn't risk getting lost.

"I'll be right back…so don't you even think about dying on me Tenten. I'll follow you and bring you back if you even dare try," he glanced back then left, following the sound of water.

'_Just hang on Tenten. I won't allow you to die.'_

He could only hope the others would find them soon.

Akamaru lead them into a small clearing, barking at his master.

"They were here," Kiba stated as he looked at the dead shinobi.

Akamaru walked in a circle before going over to a ninja holding a bloodied kunai, once again he began barking. Kiba walked over and picked it up he gave it a quick sniff and snarled angrily.

"We've got a problem guys."

All eyes were on him as he spoke, the disgust evident in his voice.

"Tenten's injured, and she's been poisoned," he handed the kunai to Sakura, whose hands began to glow green as she scanned it with her chakra.

"This isn't good."

"W-what's wrong?"

"This is a mixture of a lot of poisons, all of which are extremely deadly…if she doesn't get treated within the next hour…"

They could all figure out why she trailed off. Akamaru began to bark again.

"Neji is with Tenten, wherever they are."

"That's good. Is Neji hurt?" Naruto questioned, taking note of the worried look on Hinata's face.

"I do smell his blood, but not enough to say he's been seriously injured."

Hinata heaved a sigh of relief, at least he was there with her and he could help take care of her. Akamaru began barking again, causing her to snap out of her trance.

"Hinata, they've got the trail."

"R-right. T-thank you N-Naruto-kun."

She hadn't noticed the other had already left, leaving her all alone with her crush.

"Don't worry Hinata, we'll find them, and they're going to be fine."

Hinata could feel herself blush as she nodded wordlessly; finally taking note they were alone.

"Oi oi oi! I think we've found em!"

The two ran towards Kiba's voice, stopping in front of a cave. The entrance was blocked with huge rocks.

"They're in there? How troublesome…"

"Just have Sakura crush the rocks."

"Baka Naruto! If I did that it could cause the rocks to fall on them inside!"

"W-we'll just have to remove them by h-hand then."

They all nodded and began their work.

**Translations:**

**Hai - **yes

**Oi** - hey

**Baka **- Naruto...I mean idiot! Baka means idiot! For reals! Naruto's picture is just next to the definition...I looked it up.

And if you believe that then your picture is next to "gullible"...XD Joking! Read and review!


	5. Ch 5: Defintion of a Nightmare

So so so so so so so sorry about the forever update! I forgot I wrote the next few chapters! Don't hate me please! I'm really sorry!

Kage Bushin no Jutsu – Shadow Clone Jutsu

Jujin Bunshin no Jutsu – Beast Human Clone Jutsu

I don't own Naruto in any way shape of form! I'll update in a few days…or at least I'll try too….

Chapter Five: Definition of a Nightmare

He rounded the final corner swiftly. Her small frame lay where he had left it. His hand held the dampened torn off piece of her shirt he had taken with him for her fever. Even in her sickened state she was still beautiful.

"Tenten," her name escaped past his lips in a hushed tone.

Neji made his way over to her in a few long strides. The stream had not been too far away just as she had predicted. Maybe at the most a ten minute walk, so twenty to get there and back. There were very few turns so he had found his way there easily. The water looked pretty clean too, so they could probably boil and drink it to make sure it would be properly purified.

"Tenten, I'm back."

She gave no indications that she had heard him.

"You're going to be okay you know. I bet the others are already close by if not digging us out right now."

Still nothing, he sighed and placed the cloth on her still hot forehead.

"Seems your temperature has gone down slightly, but it's still an improvement."

Neji placed his wet finger over her dry lips, hoping to moisten them. His eyes widened in fear as he noticed that she wasn't breathing.

"Tenten!"

Fear over took him as he placed a hand on her neck, looking for her pulse. Yet he could find none. Carefully he opened her mouth and tilted her head back. Without any hesitation he placed his lips on hers and attempted to breathe life into her, then he placed his hands on her chest and pushed down five times. He continued the CPR, not willing to let her die.

"Dammit Tenten! Wake up!"

She knew, and that's what hurt the most. Was it wrong of her to place false hope? Sakura knew there was no way they would get to her within an hour, and no way that she could treat Tenten's wounds. Worst of all, Sakura knew there was no way to save Tenten's life. She could only hope that she was wrong.

"Dammit! We're still not moving rocks fast enough!" A Naruto yelled.

He had already used Kage Bunshin no Jutsu to create twenty clones. Five of the clones had gone around searching for another way into the cave. Akamaru had transformed into Kiba with Jujin Bunshin no Jutsu. They were maxed out on chakra, which was really weird. Had they really used that much chakra in the previous fight?

A fight they couldn't remember any less? Not only that, but Sakura couldn't find her Solider pills, and nether could Shikamaru. Hinata had devised that maybe they had been stolen, but Shikamaru had pointed out that if they would have stolen those then they would have stolen the treaties as well. Then Sakura pointed out that maybe they had just been bandits and needed the supplies. They couldn't know for sure though.

It was just unnerving that they couldn't remember what had happened.

"It's like we're getting nowhere at all!" Kiba yelled in frustration, throwing yet another rock.

"K-Kiba we must s-stay calm and keep moving."

"She's right, just focus on moving the rocks," added Shikamaru.

Akamaru started barking causing them all to look at him. He had made a crack at the top of the rocks, they could see in, and they could hear.

"Dammit Tenten! Wake up!"

"Nii-san!"

He snapped his head up at his name.

"Hinata-sama?"

"Nii-san! W-what about Tenten!"

"She's not breathing and she doesn't have a pulse!"

"Kuso!" Sakura cursed loudly, "Ask him how long it's been."

Hinata nodded and relayed Sakura's message.

"I'm not sure! I had to leave her side for about twenty minutes, and I've been doing CPR for about twenty minutes as well!"

Sakura squeezed her eyes shut, everyone was quiet. For twenty minutes or longer Tenten's heart had not moved. For twenty minutes or longer Tenten's brain had been deprived of precious oxygen. Her heart felt heavy, knowing she would have to speak words she never wanted too.

"Tell…tell him to stop. Tenten's gone," her voice cracked.

Everyone's head was downcast, even Akamaru had his head bowed. Being shinobi, they knew that the higher the rank the higher the risk of them dying. This being an S-Rank mission meant that it had the highest risk of all. They all had had their near death experiences.

Hinata had nearly been killed by Neji during the Chuunin exams. Kiba and Akamaru had nearly been killed by the freak twins Sakon and Ukon. Shikamaru had nearly been killed by Tayuya. Sakura was nearly killed by the sound ninja in the second stage of the Chuunin exams, and also had nearly fallen to her death in an abandoned castle of Orochimaru's while trying to retrieve information on Sasuke. Naruto…well…Naruto had had WAY too many near death experiences to count.

They all knew death could come at anytime with the style of life they choose, they just ignored it until it could be ignored no longer. This particular moment was such a moment. Tears filled Hinata's eyes; this would be the hardest thing she would ever have to do. She had known that Neji and Tenten had had something between them, even if they didn't want to admit it.

When Neji had nearly been killed by Kidomaru, Tenten had stayed by his side the entire time. Tenten had cried and begged him to wake up. She never left his side, until now that is. Naruto saw the hard time Hinata was having and climbed the rocks to her. He knew her heart was hurting.

Neji and Tenten had been teammates longer then Sakura, Sasuke and he had; and he nearly died to bring Sasuke back. To tell someone that someone they worked with…no…that someone that was just as close as family was dead? It was just too much on a kind soul like hers Naruto reached Hinata and grabbed her hand; Hinata looked at him shocked as tears began to fall.

"I'll tell him Hinata."

She nodded and hung her head, allowing the tears to freely fall. It was just too much for her to bear. Naruto pilled her into a comforting hug, which she gladly accepted. Hinata and Tenten, though they didn't talk often had still gotten along rather well, the one thing they had in common was Neji. How was he going to take it all? How would he react? It was just so unfair! He had lost so much, and now he had lost her! All of this was wrong! She prayed it was all just some cruel and sick joke.

"Neji!"

He paid no mind to Naruto calling out his name; he had to bring her back.

"Neji, listen to me!"

Still he gave Naruto nothing.

"She's gone Neji!" Naruto's voice was pained

He wouldn't stop; nothing they said could make him stop. Neji would never accept that she was dead.

"Dammit Tenten you can't die! I love you!"

It was loud enough that everyone outside could hear it. Naruto felt Hinata's sob harder into his chest.

"Don't die!"

Everyone was finding it hard to keep their tears back, though Sakura was silently letting her falls.

"We've got to get them out," Shikamaru stated.

Sakura, Kiba and Naruto nodded in agreement. He stood up, Hinata in his arms; suddenly Akamaru began barking. Kiba immediently caught on, but before he could say anything it had already begun.

"Naruto, Hinata get off those rocks!" he yelled, worry etched into his voice.

It was too late though, the rocks had begun to slide back and out. Naruto lost his balance and began to fall. He hit his head against a rock and grunted in pain.

"Naruto-kun!"

The others jumped back as the large rocks began to fall towards them.

"Naruto! Hinata"

Shikamaru grabbed Sakura's arm and pulled her out of the way just in time as a rock smashed into where she had been running towards.

"Troublesome woman, are you trying to get yourself killed!"

"Naruto and Hinata need us!"

"We can't do anything for them if we are injured because of those rocks!"

Hinata clutched Naruto in worry and fear. She held his head close to her chest, shielding him.

"Naruto-kun! Just hang on!"

There was no response as the rocks continued to fall around them.

"Tenten," numbly her name left Neji's lips.

She couldn't be gone…she just couldn't be.

"_Neji…I'm not dead."_

He looked around, then to her lifeless body. She hadn't moved.

"Tenten?"

"_Neji, o….ur…..s," _the words were muffled.

His cheeks were wet even though he couldn't remember crying, and he could feel the rocks slicing him again. Then he felt pain erupt in his stomach and looked down. A rather larger and jagged rock had embedded itself into his body. He grabbed her hand and squeezed.

"_Neji!"_

A smile graced his face and he closed his eyes


	6. AN: Requesting Betas!

**Author's Note**

I'm sorry for not updating. I love you all very much because you're my precious readers and now I have a favor to ask of you. I need a beta reader(s) for this story as I'm having problems with what I wanna do. Here is what I need from a beta reader(s):

**Someone who can reply in a timely manner:** my timely manner is like…a week. People get busy, so I don't really stress over stuff like that. As long as you let me know if it's going to be longer I really don't care how long you take….okay that's a lie I care but I'm not going to get on your ass about it. Whoever becomes my beta reader(s) is doing me a FAVOR and I'm not going to rush them or bitch and complain.

**Someone who I can bounce ideas off of:** this is my main problem. I have a lot of ways my story could end. A LOT of really GOOD ways. I have basic ideas for how I want it to end, but I want to see how people react to them and if said ending will cause evil plot holes! We don't want that!

**Someone who will notice my grammar mistakes**: I'm not saying you have to notice like every single one, but if you notice one that I missed that's helpful to me and makes me look less like…a person with really bad grammar.

That's pretty much it…maybe a few things more later on but those are the most important things to me at the moment. Now I'll tell you what the beta reader(s) get from me:

_My never ending gratitude_: while this has no cash value I'll love you FOREVERS!

_Get to read everything before I post it_: you get to be the first person/people to read the new chapters and can brag to all your friends who like the story and tease and taunt them. Because we all know being evil to your friends is fun.

_Will be thanked at the beginning and ending of every chapter_: I will thank/bow to you before I open up and close.

_A review "cookie"_: I'll give you a fricken cookie man! While I don't like cookies much…I know other people do so if you want a cookie I'll give you a cookie! If you don't want a cookie and instead want something like "pie" I'll give you that. No problems.

Did I mention my never ending gratitude? Oh…I did…huh…that's it then.

I'm accepting more then one beta reader, probably two or three. First come first serve. I'll let you know if you do or don't become a reader. If you do then I'll send you a message and then the attachment of the story for you to review. I'll also be sending you spoilers, so if you want to be surprised by the story I don't suggest you asking to become a beta reader. If you don't get to become a beta reader I'll send you a message thanking you for being interested and I'll thank you in my AN at the beginning of the next chapter.

This is what you need to send me if you want to become a beta reader:

Screen name

Email address

Time Zone

Best time to contact you

I only ask for the time zone because I need to know if you'll be up/available when I'm up/available, I'm Pacific, just so you all know and I don't mind what time zone you are because I'm always up late anyway.

Thank you so much to all who have reviewed the story, I really appreciate it. I hope you can forgive me for not updating when I'm supposed too. I hope to hear from you all soon.


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